Jack Webb

Jack Webb (* 2. April 1920 in Santa Monica , California as John Randolph Webb ; † 23. December 1982 in Los Angeles , California) was an American director , screenwriter , actor and producer .

Life

Webb was best known for starring Lt. Friday in the US crime series Police Report ( Dragnet ), in this long-lasting, repeatedly reissued series, he acted as both producer and director.

A child of the American Depression of the 1920s, Webb grew up with his mother. He suffered from asthma at a young age, but was later known as a heavy smoker (up to three packs a day). Although he was fascinated by film from an early age and wanted to become a director, he first worked as a radio disc jockey. A small role in Steps in the Night of 1948 led to the idea of Dragnet . First broadcast as a radio play on NBC , a television adaptation was produced, which premiered on television in 1951.

A foray into the movie business was unsuccessful, so Webb returned to television in 1962. Warner Bros. Television hired him as production manager in 1963, but the failure of the 77 Sunset Strip series resulted in his sacking after just 10 months. Two years of unemployment followed. Universal had acquired the rights to Dragnet and asked Webb to direct a new season of the series, including a television film. The series became a resounding success and Webb's popularity continued to grow. This enabled Webb to put its production company on a financially sound footing. From 1972 to 1979 he produced the Emergency Call California series .

Personal

Through his love of jazz , Webb met actress and singer Julie London . The two married in 1947 and had daughters Stacy (1950–1996) and Lisa (1952). The marriage ended in divorce in 1954. Although Webb was married three more times, he hired London and her then-husband Bobby Troup to call California in 1972 .

Jack Webb died of a heart attack the day before Christmas Eve 1982.

Filmography (selection)

movie theater

• 1948: Started at night ( He Walked by Night ) - Performer
• 1950: The men ( The Men ) - Performer
• 1950: Sunset Boulevard ( Sunset Boulevard ) - Performer
• 1950: Dark City - cast member
• 1951: Okinawa ( Halls of Montezuma ) - actor
• 1951: Inspector Goddard ( Appointment with Danger ) - actor
• 1954: The Original Dragnet - Actor
• 1955: 24 Hour Alert (short film)
• 1955: It Happened in One Night (Pete Kelly's Blues) - Actor, Director, Producer
• 1961: The Last Time I Saw Archie - Actor, Director, Producer
• 1975: The Log of the Black Pearl production

watch TV

• 1951–1958: Police report ( Dragnet ) - actor and director
• 1963: 77 Sunset Strip ( 77 Sunset Strip ) - Production
• 1967–1969: Police Report ( Dragnet 1967 ) - Actor and director, screenplay and production
• 1968–1971: Adam-12 ( Adam-12 ) - direction and production
• 1972–1976: Notruf California ( Emergency ) - direction and production
• 1978–1980: Project UFO - production

Works

• The badge. The Inside Story of One of America's Great Police Departments , Prentice-Hall 1958.
• With James Ellroy : The badge. True and terrifying crime stories that could not be presented on TV, from the creator and star of Dragnet , New York (Thunder's Mouth Press) 2005. ISBN 1-56025-688-5 .

literature

• Daniel Moyer / Eugene Alvarez: Just the facts, ma'am. The authorized biography of Jack Webb , Santa Ana, CAL u. a. (Seven Locks Press) 2001. ISBN 0-929765-29-X
• Michael J. Hayde: My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized But True Story of Dragnet and the Films of Jack Webb , Cumberland House Publishing 2001. ISBN 978-1581821901

Web links

• Jack Webb in the Internet Movie Database (English)